Success starts with a choice. Tanya Patel, CEO & Founder of Chapter. London & Lily and Ribbon made the right one. She embraced her passions, accepted challenges, and followed her heart on a diverting journey from law, through banking to successful fashion entrepreneurship. She shared her story as we discussed, among others, redefining the fashion landscape, Brexit, and Formula 1. Here’s how it went! 

Daria Bahlai: When did your journey start?  

Tanya Patel: I fell in love with clothing in my early childhood. I was eight years old when I went on a holiday to India with my mom. Back then my teacher had given me a project: to create a design inspired by this trip. So, I remember walking the streets of India and making prints on t-shirts. I quickly realised that I’m not great at designing and drawing. I was curious about the psychology of fashion: how clothes make you feel. My family was already in the textile industry. My uncle used to do the manufacturing for some big retailers in the UK and I was a lucky ten-year-old girl who was able to visit him and see what a garment factory looks like from the inside. Later in life, I found myself in an interesting situation: academia was calling me, so I applied to study law. 

Not fashion? 

At that time, if I had the opportunity to complete a business-related fashion degree, I probably would’ve done it. But I was a straight-A student and I wanted to explore the academic path.

What happened next? 

Approximately six months before the results were going to come out, I was exposed to a work opportunity at HSBC. I realised that my calling was business. I went to university and completed my degree in business and psychology. The time has come to choose between two graduate schemes: banking or Marks and Spencer. The stars aligned. I chose M&S, and it was one of the best decisions I made. I worked there for fourteen years. I started my first clothing company – a maternity brand Lily and Ribbon (you may find us in Debenhams, as well as online; we also fulfil international orders). Still, something was missing. Chapter. London helped me to fuse two things: my passion for womenswear and academia. Everyone kept asking how I made it an overnight success. There’s nothing overnight about it.

Which advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs in the fashion industry?

Believe in yourself; believe in your vision. You’re going to get a lot of no-s and even more critique. There have been times when everybody told me it was a bad idea to not pursue my law degree or to quit my corporate job, but it’s about having that self-belief. Entrepreneurship can be very lonely. Female entrepreneurs, or females in general, sometimes struggle to ask for help. There are lots of people who will help you and support you if you just ask.

Chapter. London is on a mission ‘to redefine what fashion can look like in the womenswear sector.” What parts of the current definition would you like to change?

Redefinition starts with educating society (again) about what fashion is. The womenswear landscape has alternated phenomenally over the past hundred years. Why do we have to manufacture so much quantity that goes straight to landfill? How do we start showing the real value of our products? We can be more fashion-conscious by producing smaller quantities and reducing our carbon footprint. Customers should know that everything is produced in the most ethical way possible. Environmental awareness and inclusivity are the main parts of my business’s ethos. Therefore, the second step of the redefinition process is making sure that fashion is all-encompassing in terms of cultural backgrounds, races, shapes, and sizes. I believe that each person has at least three great parts of their body, whether they know about it or not, and it’s my job to bring that out of them. 

Fashion-conscious, meaning?

We need to ensure that sustainability isn’t just a tick-box exercise; it comes from the core with every practice that we put into the business, making sure things are done ethically, and then telling that story to customers. I guess that’s the luxury of having a small brand – we have agility. What I would love, as much as the brand grows, is to stay inclusive, sustainable, and accessible to as many people as we can make it accessible to.

How do you tell that story to customers? 

We’re working on the strategy. We want to do more behind-the-scenes content. All our items are made in England. Every person involved in the creation of our clothes has their own story. We want to share these stories. What I notice with some bigger brands is a disconnect between who makes the clothes and who wears them. It’s our duty to try and breach that gap. We want to showcase British manufacturing talent. 

Especially after Brexit.

Lily and Ribbon, my first brand, has been affected by Brexit a lot. From a people-work, admin and business perspective it has been incredibly tough. The irony is that because of Brexit we started Chapter. We discovered that there are amazing manufacturers in the UK that haven’t got a platform; we were inspired to discover more local talents. Where there’s a will, there’s way.

The industry is highly competitive. 

You could perceive anything to be a competition if you wanted to. I always say that we should stay in our lane, and we must believe in our vision. Then it’s up to the customer. If you love us and share our values, you’ll buy from us. If you simply need a piece of clothing, then larger brands may have a better offer. We’re not always going to be number one, it’s ok. If your brand is better than it was yesterday, or six months ago, then you’re on the right track. I’m a huge Formula 1 fan, so I believe that there is space for all of us. We’ve just got to race. 

Which Formula 1 team are you supporting?

I am a [Mercedes,] Lewis Hamilton fan through and through. He’s got the grit. He’s been on the rise, yet he’s had a few tough moments over the last few years. The fact that he shows up and works hard every day, no matter what, is phenomenal. If I can have at least 1% of that magic, then I’m happy. 😊 

This was written by our contributing writer, Daria Bahlai.